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Sont expect any FF with optical viewfinder anymore! Bye bye A900 🙁
In these days many “sources” contacted me to tell me that Sony has already “selected” the final A99 camera specs. Some A99 prototypes are being shown to managers, dealers and photographers. All sources confirmed that there is no plan to launch the A99 now and that all we can hope is that Sony will give us an official look on the prototype model by end of this month or early May! It is Sony’s plan to launch the A99 in late August/early September like they did last year with the [shoplink 8461]Sony A77[/shoplink].
P.S:: I hope Paul Genge statement will turn out to be truth when he told to David Kilpatrick (Click here): “wait for the FF SLT– you’ll not regret it’. So don’t buy the Nikon D800 and Canon 5DmarkIII 🙂
—-
Here are the search links to the last FF DSLR cameras with optical viewfinder:
Sony A900 [shopcountry 3032].
Sony A850 [shopcountry 3028].
175 Responses
Wow.. That sounds like a good news…
But heard news that Sony is not doing well, and make loses for years.
Hope it won’t affect the imaging department.
a stupid camera for stupid customers.
Says the village idiot with nothing better to do than troll message boards. Get a life, get outside, and take some pictures instead. This is a forum for photographers after all.
+1
Well put.
It burns to Canikon fanbois so much that they actually spend the time to type shit in here.
Insecurity.
I do not think this is great news. Aside from the FF aspect, it sounds too similiar to the 77. My guess is that next year after their agreement with Nikon, they will come out with at least 36mp, perhaps more, with the state of the art equiptment. Moreover, the Lens array is still too shallow for a launch like this.
Any info which prototype will go live?
*holds thumbs for square sensor*
Well, maybe some selected Sony’s photographer can use final prototype in Olympic then. Surely they can make few for the lucky one in time for London 2012.
Or Euro 2012 for that matter….
Guess Sony is missing a great deal of sales by releasing camera after all the major sport events. Especially if the camera will be aimed towards sport photographers (which we don’t know – equally well it can be another high-res & average ISO quality camera).
It depend. Do you think many customers buy this advance camera for event like Olympic? It will be the press that will buy this camera and as we know most of them shoot with Canon at the moment. Sony can give selected freelance photographer this camera (and the 500 f/4) and then use the material (photo taken with it) for marketing later on.
I think as long as they can deliver way before holiday season then it will be fine. They loose very big with A77, A65, and NEX-7 because of Thailand flood. I am sure this one will be made in Japan though.
Many? Not really. Some? Definitely. Will it help Sony? Surely – it’s better to have one or two people running with Sony cameras than none at all. 😉
I think some photographers will use this combo at the olympic. At least that I would do if I were Kazuo Hirai.
When the camera is available in late August surely it is already being made in July so production unit should be available for selected few.
Let’s hope it is 24MP FF with dual bionz 😀
Hehe, wish it would be truth 🙂 Although I guess it’s gonna be more in line with 36 MPx + another even higher MPx count camera…..
I expect a few chosen professionals will be using the A99 at Euro 2012 and the Olympics with the images being used for promotional purposes during the launch in Late August / Sepetmber to show the cameras capabilities to professional and enthusiast buyers.
Maybe somebody would consider it as a backup body during an event, but who would have their work rely on a prototype!? And a backup body to what, a Canon?
Yes, I really don’t think press that is comfortable with Canon will change overnight. But sending a freelance sport photographers among the press with the combo is a very smart marketing.
As I have said more than once on here. Sony will have people using cameras at the olympics. I am sure they will also be using the a99 prototypes. I know nothing for sure but I do believe they will be using them.
Use your brain please! Make some sense, brainless!
+1 A99 with 500mm Lens ! The top for Olympic Games 2012 in London ! 😉
You will not see EVF cameras working the pro lenses at the Oympics. Unless Sony is paying them to be there.
Bye Bye – i will OVF myself after 20 years of Minolta/Sony to FF Canikon – sad but no way EVF for me
Cya, close the door on the way out.
Good luck developing your films.
In order to be a key player in pro segment, A99 should improve:
1. AF system
2. High ISO performance
3. Pro lens, e.g., 35mm and 50mm prime lens are both sub pro grade lens.
AF system is just fine. SSM lenses are great and screwdriver lenses are on par with other cameras.
AF does need improved. It can be faster and more accurate in lower light situations. If it didn’t need improving one would never miss a shot because the AF did not lock on the subject. However, I beleive this will be significantly improved with the new camera. I presently do not have an SLT. I imagine that change alone will improve AF over my 850. I can’t wait.
Here’s the least you can expect with a fast focusing lens.
Low light:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-v2I33h8Vo
Ultra low light:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnqUzkls4jE&feature=channel
Sony need a lot more than just “fine” to be seen as a serious choice towards Canikon.
See the AF system of 5D3 or D800. If the AF system is not trully improved while they chose the SLT/EVF technology, it will be a shot in the head, and not just in the foot… See what is happening with the a77.
No I don’t, please elaborate?
He can’t! He does not know what he is talking about.
The AF does need improvement. Arthur you must not shoot in fast-paced professional settings. As an event photographer using Sony I am constantly shooting in dark settings (weddings, mitzvahs, corporate events)- the AF slacks heavily in comparison with my partner’s D700, especially when it comes to moving subjects. I welcome an improved AF system, otherwise love using my 850.
The A850 does not have the current best Sony AF system. Unless you’ve been shooting with the A77 you don’t know what Sony AF can do. It’s a lot better than the unit in the A850/A900. In fact it’s probably better than the 7D or 5D3, but not quite where the D700, D300s or D800 is (Nikon is the current king of AF performance).
Note that the A850’s AF already grossly outperforms the 5D2’s AF, not that that is hard.
Adam I am aware. I moved to the A850 from a MarkII- night and day. However the Nikon AF still shits on it. If the A99 has AF that is as good or better than the A77 then I will be very happy and in line to buy one.
can it be faster?
Terrible news… That will mean we will never have a A99 on the market before next Summer… maybe end of Spring, with luck!
What’s the problem? Your existing camera still takes great photographs, so go out and take some.
same with the camera before that! and before that! just use a 10 yr old camera! meanwhile the competition upgraded
So…. what’s wrong with a 10 year old camera? Oh, wait, limitations. Working around them can make you a bit more creative.
I’m not saying that its easy or relaxing – its challenging when you’re used to more current technology. But its a nice change of pace.
That’s why I bought a900 last month. Sony takes a while to replace their workhorses usually making a huge gap between discontinuation of the current model and fulfilling orders on a new model. With any luck, specs and a clear prototyoe will be out in September and final design will be shown in March. So a year from now new FF will hit the market.
I, for once, will not miss my Summer trip photo opportunities again.
Use what you’ve got and don’t regret not having the latest camera.
how can having no FF to having a FF in 4 months is terrible? for me this is great news!!
4 months is a timeframe for overoptimistic folks. If sony ships a new FF to customers in August we may need some winter clothes because the hell will freeze over that very moment.
4 months for a PROTOTYPE!!!!
Propabably more than 1 year until we have a final camera on the market fully available!
This means…
– If something happens (damage, assault) to my current equipment, I won’t be able to replace it… As A900/A850 are discontinued!
– Less people and less professionals entering on the world of Sony equipment. And that means that each time for the future sony will have less reasons to invest on professional SLR’s/SLT’s…
And in the end, everyone will suffer the consequences!
I live my actual sony equipment and lenses, but this is getting very hard to stay on this alpha mount world!
And meanwhile, Canon, Nikon and other are launching new cameras (with a few problems yes, but they are solving also) and they are fighting and taking their place on the market… and sony is loosing!
Ohh yes this news is just fantastic. But i couldn’t wait anymore, and yesterday i bought the Sony NEX 7. As a wedding photographer i wanted to test the EVF in low light situation like a slow dance.
cek ~ coming late with august ,why not this weekend ? wakakaaa !!!!
Buy the 5d mark i or mark II or mark III… sony cant simply compete with canon, its a fact…
Or.. If you want to stay with a brand that offers commercial mediocrity only for business’s sake go Sony…
If you want simply the best and an infinity of choices go Canon
I thought that if I want the best currently I should go Nikon. C1100D, C7D, C5DIII, all are fails in many ways…
😉
I agree. I would not drop my Sony for Canon. They aren’t bad but I would much prefer Nikon. I cannot afford the choices Sony gives me. When I need more than 6 lenses then maybe I will complain.
what a joke. The canon 5d mark 1 or 2? Is this a joke? The a900 blows those cameras af systems out of the water. I am sure the 3 is better but please stop being a troll.
trip trap trip trap
I use Canon 7D and that has much better color when the 5D mark 1 and 2 and now with all issues the mark 3 has why would anyone want that
Also i am a pro and i love the Sony NEX-7 it actually outperforms the 7D
And that’s what all magazine’s in Europe also is saying none that is pro Sony or Pro this or that, they are just stating the obvious.
So i like my Canon 7D now even better when i see all Mark 3 issue’s and my best camera right now is the Sony NEX-7.
My only complaint is the lack of lenses
But with the adapter now for both Sony full frame and Canon Lenses i am not worried, i just like them smaller and crisper
And now with A99 around the corner i say Canon are in for a fight with all issue’s they have, same Nikon with a big big issue
Canikon better watch out
I rather buy Nikon than your stupid pathetic Canon. Why don’t you guys wait sony is new to SLT technology they’re trying to make it perfect for us they probably brought us A77 with a big BANG just to let us know that they can change the world. My budget will wait until A99 will come out. cheer up!
”Don’t expect any FF with optical viewfinder anymore!”
*sigh*
Any rumors Zeiss is going to make AF lenses for Nikon?
Not having an OVF is a good thing. If you want an OVF then go to CaNikon. Don’t bother going on about choice either. CaNikon don’t off any choice either, it’s OVF or nothing from them.
I agree, but the A99 EVF just have to be soo much better than what we currently have.
Yes the EVF will have to be *much* better than the one in the A77 to compare to the lovely OVF in the A900.
I still hope Sony will make a full frame model with an OVF alongside the A99
I wonder how much better can the EVF improve.. the one in the a77 is already as amazing as it is…
I guess that’s subjective, but I feel it’s like starring at a really poor TV screen. I only use it when there’s too much light outside to rely on the LCD LiveView.
they already do, manual focus lenses, but with peaking that’s no problem… wait… D800 doesn’t have peaking!
Add on a Zacuto EVF. I think it has it.
If you prefer OVF, that is of course okey.
But as a contrast, look at dpreview on the Zeiss 70-200 just launched.
A $20k lens to be used only with EVF …
So there is a market for hi grade optical equipment with EVF usage. I guess it is because they focus on the end result, not the EVF quality.
just sayin’ …
ahaha there were the votes for the TIPA and sony? where is sony? mmm I know that Canon has once again beat everything! go go canon!
Source: http://www.tipa.com/english/XXII_tipa_awards_2012_13042012103433.php?iExpand1=70
Well…
Best CSC Expert: Sony Alpha NEX-7
Best Digital SLR Advanced: Sony Alpha SLT-A65
Not so bad hit rate for the new camera releases from a small player in the photographic business. I know that Canon got more awards, but I do not care about professional classes or Best Multifunction Printer. The a65 and NEX-7 is more than enough advanced for my needs.
But I really wish that I could afford an a99. I’m sure it will be a great camera.
Yep…
they’re waiting with all the releases until all the potential buyers have already bought something else, as they couldn’t stand the wait for SONY.
A great strategy, SONY!
or simply because its not quite finished and they’d rather not make the same mistake they did with the A77…..possibly.
Or the same mistakes as Canon and NIKON. See light leakage on the Canon or green cast on NIKON.
You can’t release something that isn’t ready. Unlike CaNikon who can just rehash the same old, same old, the new Sony FF has got to be something special.
Sure you can release something that isn’t ready! Otherwise we would see A99 on August/September 2013 not 2012. Look at A77 – translucent prototype on February 2011 and official announcement on August 2011. 6 months from prototype to final unit yet it had quite a few bugs. Here we will have 3 month from prototype to final unit which (simple math) should give us twice more bugs in firmware and/or hardware.
😉
Linear trends are the best trends 😉
If anyone wants to wait, it’s fine because it’s your decision.
For me, I won’t rely myself on a guess or on advertisement.
That’s enough. I start considering D800 seriously now.
You start considering D800 ‘now’ ?
You mean last week, when there was no news about a possible FF being released this year, you did not consider Nikon.
But now that SAR is reporting that FF news is coming, you are considering Nikon ?
Weird… With me, it was the opposite. I considered the D800, but now that there are rumors about new FF Alpha prototype, I will definitely hang in there and wait for the news.
“potential buyers have already bought something else, as they couldn’t stand the wait for SONY.”
Something else is the A77. Sony wants us to buy this model for the Olympic.
Any pic of the a99 to share Andrea?
And any news/update on new Alpha lenses?
Thanks for all your hard work. Cheers 🙂
Maybe announced in August, on sale by year’s end.
For once I’m actually more interested in the video capabilities than photo. The A900 shoots about as good a stills as you’ll ever need for most purposes and A77 mops up the rest. So:
1. No crop in video mode with SSS off
2. Full time live histogram in video mode or Zebras
3. Better 1080p video resolution (ala GH2)
4. Smart teleconverter in Video mode
5. 120+fps burst video – 8-12 seconds would be nice.
6. No region restrictions, give all cameras PAL and NTSC frame rates
7. Clean uncompressed HDMI out option.
8. No immediate need for 4K…its nice but about 5 years from mainstream for 99% of users.
9. Good manual audio control and monitor/headphone socket.
…or I could just save up the cash and buy an FS700
There is a tool for every job. Alpha line is for still photographs and FS is for video.
true…hence the comment about the FS700
So why bother writing specs for video camera on a photo blog?
…because having the lot in one box would weigh less perhaps? ….because the FS700 has more features than even most videographers use and costs likely twice as much perhaps? or maybe, just maybe, it would just be nice if for the most part the A99 fulfilled what was reasonably expected of the A77 pre-launch (points 1,2,3,4,6,9) and commented in numerous reviews as curious omissions/oversights..take yer pick.
P.S I think this is more of a Sony DI blog nowadays…sort of covers everything from the occasional P&S to F65…which is fine by me.
ok, scratch all this. Sony you may now do the A99 how you please (like they’d listen to us anyway!) . I just watched the FS700 from the earlier article and I think I’ll stick with the multitude of Alphas I already have and save my pennies for the FS700….that thing just went right to the top of the “Grizzler must have” list.
You propably want FS100/700, not Alpha 99 😉 🙂
If those are your needs – then I would go for a NEX camcorder. Maybe the VG20H could do it – seems to have almost all the features you need. Or maybe the FS100 will be cheaper now that the FS700 is coming out.
grizzler
If Sony could provide 4K in the A99, it would shake the industry!
Didn’t Canon already announced a DSLR with 4k?
yeah, for 15 grand.
Well, if someone goes serious into video than after spending 30k+ on video parfocal lenses the cost of body doesn’t seem so high, does it? 😉
I couldn’t agree more with all of this!!
The world doesn’t need another FF camera… it needs a mirrorless FF camera! *yawn* Sure hope we see something FF mirrorless soon from Sony.
Yes. With GPS. And IBIS.
You != the World
Yes you are right and wrong. Sony needs a new FF and a FF mirrorless would also rock. A flip up SLT option would be the optimum choice.
GUYS GUYS!!!!
BUT….. WILL IT BLEND??!?!?!?!?
Don’t think it will fit! Hummm….
That does sound kind of desparete – please please dont go and buy a D800 or 5DmkIII. Sony managers must be kind of pissed to see how well the D800 or 5dMkIII are selling and they dont have anything to offer NOW!
But hey, august is not far away, so lets hope some leaks will get out before and we will know more about th A99. Although as I know Sony, they will outprice the camera from the market anyway.
P.S:: I hope Paul Genge statement will turn out to be truth when he told to David Kilpatrick (Click here): “wait for the FF SLT– you’ll not regret it’. So don’t buy the Nikon D800 and Canon 5DmarkIII
Quite worry on Paul genge statement. As what have been learnt from Sony statement in the past launched of a77 in Sept, a700 successor –> suckessor, flagship slt –> flagshit slt 😀 althought 24mp PDAF AVCH2.0 are nice to have, but lacking of the tethering turn down many pro-photographer, big brother low light high iso beaten by his little bro nex5n and sister nex7n, 1.8x crop in video that we not seen in rival aps-c. if future fw fix, a77 will rock in aps-c segment!
btw, hope paul genge statement will be true. sound like FHD 240fps -50% at 120fps will available for A99 🙂 touch wood! 😀
Just another rambling troll
TROLLING!!!
If you were Charlie Sheen you would be: BI-TROLLING!!!
available late August!
great, same as D800
To go with the A99, perhaps Sony / Zeiss should make a non-cine auto-focus ZA version of this lens:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/04/16/carl-zeiss-launches-70-200-compact-tele-cine-lens
– of course at a price competitive with the Nikon and Canon equivalents. Though I guess this would compete with the SAL 70-200 f/2.8
Then again a CZ zoom to match or beat the Nikon AF-S 14-24 f/2.8G ED might be a better idea.
Good news. Considering how Sony has handled things before, I would assume the a99 becomes available to the public at the end of 2013…
I’ve used a77 along the a850 long enough to say that with FW 1.0.5 it is a complete product. Sure Tethering should be implemented on it. I like the way Sony programmed the EVF operation, it stays detailed and accurate in all conditions and I love what you can do with this technology, a850 feels like a vibration machine now:))) the only thing that a850 does better relates to being full frame and operation differences. I do want a FF model with EVF and tilt screen, a77 convinced me to stay. LR 4 delivers outstanding detail at high ISO.
I absolutely LOVE the EVF and everything the new FF will bring.
They only big problem I have with the A77 is when shooting 8-12 FPS, the lag in following the subject. I don’t know if this is something that can be fixed in a firmware update? But shooting action can be trying. Having to guess the frame and where the subject is going just sucks.
Sony really needs to nip that in the bud if any pros are gonna make a switch for sports photography (Olympics or Euro).
Vivieno Caldinelli
I recently shot birds in flight with my NEX-5N using high-speed burst and all I had to do was turn of preview mode——it solved it for me.
To late for me, i got a D800, and i don’t regret my choice!
It’s just impossible for me to use the EVF…
Why are you trolling on here then?
He’s not a troll. Like me or others, we are previously Sony users and very sick of this kind of advertisement. I too cannot wait any longer. Ijust ordered D800
[OT]
A57 Firmware 1.02 available on Sony Asia site
http://www.sony-asia.com/support/download/494892/product/slt-a57k
The term “FF SLT” just makes me wince. I’d rather have an optical viewfinder with pentaprism than a translucent mirror that compromises image quality–no matter how slightly.
Could you please explain how the IQ is compromised?
If you’re asking that question you haven’t been paying attention.
And I guess you are not looking at the benefits SLT brings? Yes. It filters out a fraction of the light from the sensor but this is only ONE attribute of a good camera. The sensitivity for light on the new sensors is already head and shoulders above the A900. Compared to A900 it’s certainly not a downgrade. Show me real world scenario photos that a camera from the same class from Canikon (Canon 7D or D7000) that Sony A77 can’t do. I even use strobist kits with Sony A77 with ease. I don’t understand the big fuss is. Find me a scenario it won’t work with SLT, then we will talk.
Well then give me the gospal according to Doug!
Here’s what you do: go to DXOmark.com and bring up a comparison of the A77 and the NEX-7. Two cameras, same sensor, same tests for both. And yet, the NEX-7 beats it handily. In the area of low-light ISO it even beats it by a whopping 20%. Why? It’s because of the A77’s pellicle mirror. And why should a pellicle mirror make such a difference? Well, think about what a mirror does. Take all the time you need.
As for the benefits of an SLT? Yes, it has some benefits for some people. It all depends on what’s important to you. For me, maximum image quality trumps everything else. It doesn’t for others. There you have it.
hahhahahahahah ohhhh Doug. Figures.
he says OH I’VE GOT THE SCENARIO FOR YOU- THE TEST CHARTS AT DXO
You are right Doug. As a professional chart photographer requiring the highest of ISO performance for 100%-crop scrutinous evaluation, the A77 is a slightly weaker camera to use due to the slt configuration.
however, if you pause for a few minutes to remove your head from your ass, you will realize that the difference of 1/3 of a stop has NO REAL EFFECT IN REAL WORLD USE- NOT on IQ, NOT on noise performance, NOT ON PHOTOGRAPHY.
GOOD GRIEF. Please look at my website and tell me which pictures were taken with state-of-the-art FF A850 and Canon 5dMkII (these have better quality than that ‘shitty’ slt a77 right?) and tell me which ones were taken by a 40D and Nikon D70 (prehistoric and utter shit, lets use them as ‘pretend’ slt pictures)-
you will NOT be able to tell. In REAL world use, whether you use the images online, or in print, IT MAKES NO FUCKING DIFFERENCE in the end result.
the difference it DOES make is enable the user to CAPTURE those images QUICKER be it video or by effect of all the benefits found in an EVF.
Change the damn record and get a fuckin clue- you ought to block dxomark if its going to cloud your judgment this much.
joke, you picked the perfect name for yourself I must say. Your post is a joke and your reasoning, if you can call it that, is pathetic. Take your ad hominem attacks and go fuck yourself sideways with them, ASSHOLE.
My point is simple- you seem to be unaware of PRACTICALITY, and how it applies to the SLT mirror.
Agreed…go find a review of the a77 good or bad that says the A77 IQ is a problem. You won’t find any. I will give low light high ISO IQ issues, but I don’t go there anyway so I don’t care. Having said that if you’re going to use the a77 at ISO 3200 and clean up your images in LR you’re still going to use LR for a 3200 ISO image when using the Nikon D7000 or D300 so what?
It doesn’t affect image quality, it affects the light transmission.
Late August… What year?
Hahahaha.. the best comment so far.
joke is 100% right. There are no IQ issues produced by the SLT apart from the tiny light loss. No ghosting, no loss of contrast, no problems with colours, nothing. This has been concluded by every serious reviewer of the A77.
On the contrary it could be said that high MP DSLRs are fatally compromised for IQ because they have a heavy flapping mirror producing vibration that kills pixel level sharpness. DSLTs have no flapping mirror, as well as an electronic first curtain shutter. They are therefore unique in the camera world for being totally vibration free… Ideal for high MP FF sensors. I can’t wait for the A99!
From what I heard from a source, A99’s going to look very much alike and share similar specs with A77, except with a 24mpx full frame sensor of course. Not much change. Seems Sony is being pressured hard to get this full frame to the market as quickly possible. So they would just slap the full frame sensor onto A77, tweak a little bit, and sell!
Sony’s had time to do a proper job, but if they haven’t kept the development ball rolling then it’s their own fault. Sounds like all the effort has gone into sensor development, but parallel work on the bodies and processors should have been going on. IMHO, it’s obvious Nikon has been developing THEIR bodies and processors, but buying the sensor, then Sony should have asked for processor help from Nikon. OR just gotten off to an earlier start – this is called “project management”.
Sony semi conductors is a separate division.
You’ve got that right Spoon. This New York Times article (see bottom) gives some insights as to what’s wrong with Sony – basically too much independence in each division, which don’t communicate with other divisions. To use and analogy, rather than a bunch of generals running the different brigades, they need a few field marshalls that will coordinate cross-brigade projects (if you’re launching D day operations, you’ll need someone who can coordinate land/sea/air operations, or you’ll end up with empty landing craft, or no air support – etc.). Seems to me that Sony has soldiers (sensors) but no boats (camera bodies). Someone should be court marshalled and shot at dawn.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/technology/how-sony-fell-behind-in-the-tech-parade.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1
Under Steve Jobs, Apple was able to get them all to talk to each other, hence their wild success.
Perhaps you’re right, and perhaps it will be a different body after all. But what is so wrong about A77 body + FF sensor? It even have a larger top lcd than A900.
I really like Sony´s approach more than the FF CaNikons, but I have no previous experience with Sony´s release dates.
Considering past Sony releases, could you guys tell me what “late August” really means?
Thanks
Just Realised Sony won 3 awards from TIPA!!the a65, NEX 7 and xqd cards. The judges are clearly noobs and blind. How can a Sony win that kind of award?!
I guess you are blind folded if you try the NEX-7 it will open your eyes and bring you out from the dark side.
I am a Pro and Use Canon 7D but the NEX-7 produce sharper and better images
The 7D also producess better images when the Canon 5D mark I and Mark II.
So get out of the darknes
Luminous Landscape just published a review of the Nex 7 after using it for 6 months, and taking over 6000 frames (using it as his main camera over that time – and this from a guy who has the highest quality MF backs). As always, the review is thorough, but the reviewer notes that he does it from the perspective of how he uses a camera. Some dislikes are mentioned, but IQ seems to be superb (using proper techniques, he says you can produce great 20×24 inch prints).
Very balanced one. It is also noticed the OBVIOUS and HORRID lack of DR in EVF. That’s why this thing isn’t a good tool for pro usage: pro tool must be reliable and be good enough in all conditions. As you can see NEX as well as all STLs are still not good enough in many areas. For example, they are just pretty unusable outdoors.
No camera is perfect for ALL situations, Denis. The EVF will be indispensable to me in an event photography setting, much better than trying to manual focus through my pentaprism OVF when you can’t fucking see in the dark.
Typical Denis exaggerations. Unusable if you’re half blind maybe. I’ve shot with EVF’s that are an order of a magnitude worse in this and many other areas. For years. They were already usable.
> much better than trying to manual focus through
I told this a long time ago MF with EVF is better. But, anyway, SLT weren’t designed for MF but for using PDAF. So, what’s the point of SLTs if framing with EVF is inferior to OVF (Lag, lack of DR)?
> Typical Denis exaggerations. Unusable if you’re half blind maybe. I’ve shot with EVF’s that are an order of a magnitude worse in this and many other areas. For years. They were already usable.
You are liar or rather stupid fanboy. If there’s no details you can’t see anything. It’s the case when using EVF in harsh lightning. For example this makes them (EVFs) a bad choice when shooting landscapes: you just can’t see shadow details and frame them properly.
lol. It’s first time I see anyone telling that he got an issue with framing landscapes due to EVF. C’mon, it’s ridiculous.
Man, how do you frame sunsets than? You know… when there’s barely any light to see through OVF, yet there’s loads of details there that gonna pop-up on actual photo?
Denis, I seriously hope you are just trolling instead of being that stupid.
How can Canon 5d Mark3 win something with its hardware problems?
Such terrible problems, the LED light causes the exposure to change while the body cap is on, on a small perentage of 5diii’s.
Oh no!!!!! :O
A few 5dii’s had this same “issue”, and it went unnoticed for 4 years.
Atleast Canon and Nikon have numerous FF cameras you can go out and buy RIGHT now.
“…right NOW.”
Tell me aaaaaa-bout’it!
BTW, I wonder if the A99 will have 4k – its release will coincide with the release of 4k tvs in the Fall. See this review of the Sharp 4k tv (link below*), and of its upscaling capabilities, for those who would say 4k can’t be released until there is more content available.
*http://www.trustedreviews.com/sharp-4k-tv_TV_review
That is almost to much to ask for. My expectations have been set lower. I am just hoping for great images with true color representation with a killer quick/accurate AF and very good performance through 6400 iso. 4k video would be gravy. I think this camera will be killer. I have embraced the EVF but am hoping for improvement in some of the questionalbe areas.
Canon has every intention to deliver a 4k dslr this year, so it’s not a question of technical feasibility….
Very much doubt it. Too much processing power, battery juice and storage bandwidth and space required.
Great rumor *
Yet another body – any news about new/refreshed lenses?
* I believe it when I see it 🙂
Sony make believe, so believe it 🙂
There is a shortage in believe production, I believe. Hahaha
AF this… AF that… what ever happen to photographers using manual mode and focusing yourself. smh…
they are calling themself PRO now… PRO today means no manual, high speed, high ISO, high eficcieny, high everything and high brainless mechanical money-making. There is just no place for manual playing any more.
I am often reading such proud words here: “I am PRO bla-bla!..” as if being PRO means some kind of ultimate proof for quality and rightness. Sad view…
Victor that is a very close-minded view. Personally AF is indispensable to me when shooting dim events with fast-moving subjects. Back in the day we shot with hasselblads at F8 and blasted with flash. Things change. I do however stick to manual everything else, as TTL and AE modes are unreliable when it comes to constantly changing lighting conditions, particularly with high-contrast lighting.
I usually shoot manual 1/60 at f/5.6 iso 800-1600 on my A850. My F58AM is manual 1/8 power, if the subject is far I can bump it to 1/4 power, or just move closer. I use a homemade bounce card attached to the top. This, in combination with the quantums and monolights set up around the room (on channels 1, 2 pocket wizards) creates a pleasing exposure and 3-dimensional subjects, you should try it some time.
I call myself pro simply because it is how I make my living. It does not make me a god. Happy? You sir, sound like an amateur and a bitter one at that…
Hey joke, people who take pictures of babies at shopping malls are “pros” too. It doesn’t mean they’re any fucking good. Give us the URL for your online gallery so we can all see just how fucking good you are.
Sure Doug, while I’ll take your biased opinion with an incredibly miniscule grain of salt, here are links to both my website and flickr. I am in the middle of switching domain names on the former:
http://www.wix.com/fw08504/fkwstudio
http://www.flickr.com/frankiewithers
may I have a link to your ultra-high-quality super IQ images?
Nice shots joker 🙂
I don’t get what people on photography forums have against folks that earn money by photography. I’m not a pro myself, photography is just a hobby for me, but at a time I’m not blind enough to think that Pros are clueless people running with long lenses and shooting stuff on high ISOs like a robots. It’s ridiculous. Sure as hell that you can be an artist and at the same time make a living from photography (what is more than enough to call someone professional photographer).
Well put,
This blog is full of people that now, for the first time have a camera other than a cell phone and all of a sudden they think they know everything there is to know about photography. They don’t know what they don’t know yet, but they post comments pretending that they do. And then there are the fanboys who take anything negative posted about Sony, the a77 or the NEX as a personal attack on them.
And which one are you Steve?
@ Joke
Hey, it was just a shallow sarcasm. as well as the point of kchepegram is for sure not 100% serios. do not react so seriosly to it.
For sure I realise that there are a lot of Pros who can be really proud to be called so. There are much more crap photographers from amateur-sector than from pro-sector. And I do realise that it’s not the Pro’s fault, that they are forced to produce like a crazy machinegun to be able to live on the breadline. There is much too often just no place for self-realization and rose-coloured glasses. That’s why for example me do not want to be a PRO… never! It would be than the clinical death for my way of photography. And exactly this point (again – not a Pro’s fault) makes a PRO-labeling not necessarily to some reliable and proper quality-criterion in my eyes.
For me the pro designation to gear relates mostly to it’s build quality more than anything else. There are plenty of pros who don’t need constant f/2.8 or who can get by with a rebel, but personally I think build quality must be top notch for it to be a worthy investment, especially for photo-journalism.
nope, you are a bit too idealistic. do not mix quality and pro together. professional means only making money with a cam. They have no more nor less than just a job as photographer. There are a lot of great pro photographers endeed. But there are as well a huge account of low-budget pros somewhere in provincial backwater, working as a photographer in crappy local newspapers, making crappy fotos in kindergarten and schools, shooting poor and cheesy weddings and even opening their own foto-studios in some hovels… A LOT… and they are all literally pros. The point there is not to produce quality, but to sell well. This is the top notch. The most needed in brunches using photographers is just mass-production with possibly no costs, no rights and no delay. with a couple of exceptions surely.
Thats why I began my post with “for me”
Any news on Sony’s 36mp FF or A950? I really like EVF, so no Nikon or Canon for me.
Sorry, Admin, but I already bought the D800. Previous rumors said “ISO in the hundreds of thousands” for the a77. So I have no reason to believe I “won’t regret it.”
The D800 is *amazing*.
That is great. Enjoy your superb high-iso, the 1/100 images you use it for hahaha.
I use high ISO for about 75% of my photos.
My a580 has similar high ISO response to my D800–about 1 stop off on the per pixel level. I had hoped that the a77 would give even better response. But instead it was the D800 that gave me that.
I just think that rumors should be well vetted so to keep expectations at sane levels. Otherwise, publishing semi-wild rumors can produce at least a little disappointment. That’s not good for Sony. Sony’s doing everything it can to produce a great product (such as the D800 sensor). But rumors that expect too much hurt Sony’s image by leaving consumers disappointed, at least in part.
Let’s not be too sensational and allow Sony to build its own hype.
rumors are… rumors. How can you blame anyone aside from yourself for buying into it too much??? There was no official Sony announcement promising 102,400iso, this was fabricated by a shitty source and the members of this forum who believed it as prophecy.
I think Andrea was about the only one who believed that bit.
@Manager
Yeah me too.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m very pleased to see something new from Sony but honestly I just cannot wait. I already bought D800 and am very happy with its unparallel performance. Dxomark is right. DR of this beast is truly a king now. AF is freakingly amazing, very fast and unquestionably accurate.
Plus, I’ve never had any problem reported recently at all. What a great investment !!!!
So if the prototype is in their hands, we could at least know which sensor will it use. Is it same D800 sensor?
If it’s a 36MP camera it probably will be the same sensor. The real question is: will the IQ will be as good as the D800’s? If Sony wants pros to buy it, it will. If they intend to make it a FF version of the A77, it won’t, and the few pros left who still shoot with A-mount will jump ship for Nikon or Canon.
I thought it was reported that the first FF would be the 24mp sensor which I have no problem and look forward to get. I am just hoping it comes in August or Sept.
If Sony makes the IQ *better* than Nikon, they may actually win some pros. The Pentax K-7 offers that over the D7000, but Pentax is in a much tougher and smaller position in the market. Sony has a much better market position and can win over some converts if the image quality is the most exceptional in its class. Sony knows its own sensor better than Nikon. There must be some tweaks that can land them the top spot.
Well. It’s not only sensor. It’s about how to process, manipulate, and streamline the huge amount of information coming out from the sensor as well.
The lastest Nikon’s EXPEED 3 in both D800 and D4 is still a king in this matter. I expect to see that Sony will upgrade their BIONZ to another level.
Does this camera feature EVF or OVF? Is it confirmed? I really expect usual OVF. Even NEX7, its EVF irritates my eyes a lot. Hope it will be OVF like usual DLSR.
Forget OVF George, there will be no more OVF from Sony.
@George
Keep clinging tho that raft if you wish but the ship has sailed.
Sony is SLT/EVF all the way.
The last sentence is what Sony wants to tell us, the others are meangingless…
“So don’t buy the Nikon D800 and Canon 5DmarkIII ”
If there is A99 available in this year, I want to have:
1) number of cross-type AF sensors increased
2) more dual-cross AF sensors rather than one & only one at the centre
3) AF accuracy increased for AF-C
4) AF capability increased for tracking on moving objects
5) better high ISO performance (comparable to 5D3) at low light environment, up to ISO 6400 will be sufficent practically speaking
6) no locking on ISO for movie (currently, capped by ISO 1600 !)
7) a function similar to Nikon’s “Auto ISO Setting” which let users control aperature size + shutter speed and then camera to control the ISO.
8) internal flash
9) improve the processing speed & feature for IDC!!!
My a900 is going to take a major resale hit if this is true. Anyone want a early buyer price?
For me the best thing about the a99 is that it will make a used a900 a lot cheaper.